Where the Blade Cuts
by Micky Moon
Summary: She had never imagined she would have conflicting feelings for the one who killed her beloved Ultear. —Meredy/Sting
1. One

**One**

She had been to more places than a person could in a life time.

Coliseums, temples, skyscrapers, farms. Magic users, non-magic users. With each visit she felt lost, dislocated.

'Cause hey. For a growing seven year old, experiencing different languages, different faces, and different cultures was exhausting. Especially when she had lost her hometown in mysterious wreckage.

But even if she had to endure not only her travels but also the uptight training regime assigned to her by Master Hades, she could count on the two constants in her life: Ultear and the only place she grew to be fond of, anywhere under the starry sky.

For those two things, she was extremely grateful to be Meredy.

On any particularly bad day, with just a sniffle and large moistened eyes, Meredy would receive a pat on the head and bright dazzling rose red smile.

"Let's go," she'd say, offering a hand. She'd do just that even if she was in a middle of a battle, even if she had just finished some exhausting training, even if she had just come back from a mission. "Meredy."

And the younger pink haired girl would, her worries casted aside along the breezy summer night air, smell of sugar and pollen wafting under their noses.

They would walk together hand in hand to isolated places where the world couldn't reach them with its problems and complexities.

Instead, they would arrive at someplace where only dreams and fragments of happy pasts existed. Tucked away in dandelions, its white seeds getting blown away from its stalk, riding along the air for wishes that have yet to be made.

"Ultear," she'd ask, "do you have a mother?"

The grass with yellow tints they laid on felt wet and muddy. The occasional mosquitoes buzzed around in rushed flurries as though they were racing. Neither Meredy nor Ultear could see any of this, only the floating dandelions and black canvas of white stars shining existed in their sights.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because I don't have a mother!"

That childlike response would, without a fail, garner a wild laugh from Ultear, her eyes watering from how hard she laughed. Meredy never understood why she laughed to that extent but smiled nevertheless. She loved her smile.

"Aren't," Ultear would face her, dark brown boring into deep emeralds, "I your mother already?"

With that simple, matter-of-fact question, Meredy was left stunned. Ultear would laugh it away and attempt to distract her with a, "A shooting star! Make a wish!"

And she did. Because Ultear told her to. Because, really, she didn't need to. As long as she could continue walking alongside with Ultear, preferably under night skies and along dandelion meadows, she was content. She didn't think she needed to wish for these habitual moments to continue on.

Oh, how wrong was she then.

—

Two hours, three hours, four hours, five hours…nine, ten, eleven.

Statistically, it took two to three hours to spot a shooting star. Two to three hours was an awful long wait for the average person so Meredy considered herself patient.

Guess she was only patient when the subject in matter had to do with stars and Ultear.

Speaking of whom, the woman who she respected rested her back against the cobblestone wall. She wore brown raggedy cloak over her normally flashy attire. She stank of expired milk and rotted cheese.

Well, it was expected. Roaming aimlessly around doing nothing and deciding on the spur to hold a rescue mission ensured the health deterioration of a person.

Meredy never suspected her mother to be that irresponsible though.

But here they were, hiding out in an abandoned guard watch tower that was designed to fit a person. Surrounding them were more watch towers, long, dirtied stoned paths connecting them all. Somewhere along the watch towers and stoned paths were smaller towers but they were meant for a different purpose.

Prisoners.

Few days after the incident at Tenrou Island, the place Ultear decided to break into was the jail run by the Magic Council themselves.

More specifically, Ultear wanted to save Jellal Fernandes. The very mage who she manipulated and lost parts of her sanity from doing so.

"This is stupid," Meredy muttered, not for the first time. "I don't get why you're so obsessed."

"Sh, Meredy." Meredy didn't have to turn to see the seriousness flamed in Ultear's eyes. They were ravenous, dangerous.

If Meredy had not yielded to her request of saving Jellal who knew how much further she would go with her eating habits and training? Even now the success of this mission required excellent timing and precision.

Ultear overworked herself, clearly not in the state of battle and Meredy highly doubt she could fight off the guards by herself, defending the two of them too.

"Hai, hai," Meredy sighed, "but no one is around. Breaking him out should be easy."

Smiling at her words, Ultear turned back to her observations. Though the gesture was small, trivial, pride fluttered its way in Meredy's heart. Any form of happiness for Ultear was pleasure for her. Even if it was the mention of _his_ name.

"Okay, I'll be going down now," Ultear said, descending down on the cobblestone path, "keep me covered, okay?"

Meredy nodded and watched as the face of the time mage lit up as she reached the door. A part of her felt happy for her mother's happiness but a part was disappointed. Ever since their confessions for wanting to stay together, Ultear had been more affectionate than she was previously allowed. But there was something she held back, no matter how clever she thought she was being about it.

Ultear was Meredy's _idol_, of course Meredy would know when she was feeling down.

During nights when they sat around a bonfire, Ultear would stare at the meat they'd roast blankly.

"…I wonder…eating enough…" she'd say.

It was pretty obvious who she was talking about.

The young mage sighed, pulling at her pink hair. It didn't feel _right_ that the person who wasn't beside Ultear monopolized her thoughts so unhealthily. Ultear should dote more on _her_.

It infuriated Meredy so much that at times she sneaked a sensory link; getting glimpses of the longing for redemption inside of Ultear…until she was caught and punished.

"My feelings are my feelings only, Meredy," Ultear had said, "you shouldn't be burdening yourself unnecessarily."

"Why can't I help her?" Meredy pouted, drawing her knees to her chest while letting her pink hair fall. "She should trust me more! I'm not a kid anymore—"

K-BOOM.

Without a warning, the smell of ruins and litter that was oh so familiar filled the girl's nostrils. Alert, Meredy peered down to see horrifying sight.

"No…this couldn't be happening."

As the smoke cleared, she could see a limp body of a black haired woman lying down on the stoned ground.

_Ultear_…

"Ultear!" Logic escaped her mind as she unreservedly jumped from where she hid, running over to where her mother was. "Ultear!" Cradling her mother's body in her arms, Meredy placed a hand over her mother's heart and panic coursed through her body.

There was no pulse.

"Ultear!" A tear welled in her eyes but didn't fall.

"Ultear!" She clasped the sides of her mother's cheeks, scared to see that the usual red blush was fading.

"Ultear!" Her rose red lips were rose red no more.

"Ult—"

A hand grasped her shoulder, squeezing it. Meredy looked up. A blonde boy her age.

"That was your mother?" He was nodding, his lips formed a straight line but was itching to curve upwards. "She was a strong fighter."

"Wh-what?" Meredy blinked, her lone tear trickled down her face. Before it dripped from her chin to the floor, however, the blonde leaned in, holding out a finger. The teardrop plopped on his finger.

"Don't cry," he sounded mocking, "tears don't look well on a girl like you."

He licked his finger. The finger with the tear.

"Y-you," Meredy steadied her voice, failing. "Y-you…you…killed Ultear…"

"Oh…?" The boy glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, seeing anger swelling in her chest. "I guess I should take responsibility?" He grabbed her collar, leering, "so what if I did? Didn't you hear me the first time pinky? Get. Out."

She didn't hear anything. She couldn't. How the hell could she?

_This guy killed Ultear!_

With roaring anger coursing through every fiber of her body, she kicked his crotch, distancing between them.

"_Magiruti Rēze,_" she chanted as she conjured yellow blades with her fingers. With a deadly glare of a predator, she pointed to the direction of her sprawling victim. "Go."

They sped at top speed; seemingly pave the end for whoever was to receive them. Meredy smiled softly at the satisfaction of avenging Ultear's death. Now…on to…

But Meredy never had a chance to even glance at Ultear for the last time. That was because her blades never reached him.

"_Sugoi…" _he was crackling, having fully recovered with a white mist outlining him.

Her blades had easily been destroyed.

_What…_

"…that took a lot of my energy to destroy, you know. But…" he cracked his neck, the frustration in the popping vein on his forehead contrasting the mood in the smile he wore. "…no one can beat me, pinky. Remember that."

With those words, he jumped forward, raising his fist towards her without giving her a chance to react. It turned out to be an ordinary punch, but she was never deft at hand-to-hand combat. The blow he launched at her came as a sting, sending her tumbling backwards. Just as she was to stand up, a familiar but unfamiliar yell sounded.

"_Hakuryū nō Hōrī Buresu!_"

A hypnotic, iridescent beam flew towards her and even though every part of her damaged body told her to move away, she couldn't. It looked so light, so beautiful, so familiar. It was only until it hit her that she finally discovered why she was feeling the way she felt.

"Ah…it's just like Natsu-san's flames…except…light."

She didn't remember anything clearly after this.

His flames encased her, licked around her before pain trickled on her skin and then seeped into her body. They impaled her senses at once, repeatedly until they all of a sudden stopped.

She fell on the ground.

"Geez, that's it?" he sighed, hovering over her, "I thought you would put up a bigger fight than that! I beat you!"

_Just…be quiet already…_

"Oh wells, I guess that's all the daughter of a good-for-nothing time mage amounts to. What was her name again? Ul-shit? Ul-fuck?" His laughter echoed in her ears, an ugly taunt.

"Ul-shit?" she managed out, "Ul-fuck? What the hell are you saying?"

She was surprising him, him who had no suspect a person to still be conscious after his hit.

And Meredy liked this.

_Yes..bastard…yes…_

With every bit of magic she still had left, Meredy chanted her most powerful spell, her wild card. "_Magiruti Sensu_."

The sudden thrust of pain made the boy automatically fall on his knees, his knees quacking over the shock. Meredy smirked, using his shoulders to support her up and to make him face her.

She only had a bit of magic left. This next move wouldn't be as powerful as it would if she was in her normal state. But it was good enough.

"Die," she said, conjuring a faded yellow blade, "die you scum! You murderer!"

The blade was thrust forth at the boy's neck, so close to death's door. But when she saw the fleeting glimmer of defeat, of surrender in his eyes, her blade stopped in its path. Meredy gaped.

_What the…_

"_Magiruti Sensu!_" She screamed desperately, "_Magiruti Sensu! Magiruti Sensu! Magiruti Sensu!_"

No matter how many times she repeated, how many times she conjured magical blades, they wouldn't attack as she ordered. Relief sank in the crippled blonde but Meredy wouldn't have it.

She wobbly reached for his neck but never got a chance to dirty her hands.

"_Eiryū no Zangeki_," a soft, dull voice whispered before blackness pierced through her.

The shining stars twinkled in the night sky even as Meredy fell into unconsciousness and landed in someone's arms.

* * *

Word Count: 2,034

* * *

AN: So I came up with this story whiles back and haven't actually mustered up the motivation to write it until now. I know I have a couple of GraLu fanfics to complete but honestly, I never liked Lucy that much as a character. I liked her with Gray but as an individual? Not really. I'll get to them one of these days but since my time is so limited now, I'd rather write something I enjoy.

So Meredy, hurrah~ =D She's always been my favorite character. Because c'mon, she has pink hair, an adorable smile and devotion that is actually tolerable (compared to Juvia but Juvia is so much better now that she's toned down).

This story takes place after the Tenrou Island Arc and while there are major changes, most notably Ultear's death, this will still span to the Grand Magic Games Arc. Not sure if it will last further than that since I haven't picked up FT since then and stopped around halfway the GMG arc.

Let me know your thoughts on how the story is so far and remember to follow/whatever~

Thanks for reading this far!

*I haven't written anything for so long so forgive if my writing's weird or whatnot. I appreciate criticism in any form regardless though!*


	2. Two

**Two**

"Oh, pinkie woke up."

"Fro wonders if she wants something to eat..."

Meredy opened her eyes slowly, light filling her vision quickly that it blinded her momentarily. When her vision returned to its normal state, the pink haired girl could see two cats sitting on chairs to her right.

They resembled like a certain blue cat she'd seen before.

Exceeds. And from her history with them, they accompanied dragonslayers.

Speaking of dragonslayers, wasn't the boy she fought earlier one? She tried sitting up, feeling pain shooting up every parts of her body.

Somehow managing, she tried getting off from the bed she was in when she noticed her legs and arms wouldn't budge.

Chains and handcuffs. She was chained and handcuffed to the bed.

"Sorry to disappoint _pinkie_," a nasal, matter-of-fact voice sounded, and Meredy shifted her head. The red furred Exceed was talking. "But Sting is smarter than ya think. Smarter _and_ stronger. Didya forget who beat who?"

He actually placed his paws on his small little hips. Meredy observed at this obnoxiously arrogant cat with annoyance. If only she was free, she would…

…wait. She glanced at herself, surprised to find her red cape, gone. It was her only tangible tie to Grimoire Hearts as well as her life with Ultear.

"Where…" she croaked, "is it? My cape?"

The pink haired girl was sadly ignored, the Exceeds too occupied with their own conversations to care. Meredy relented after a while, her needs no longer mattered anymore anyways…

"But Rogue," the green furred Exceed, in a pink colored frog costume, piped up, "told Fro that he beat her. Not Sting-kun."

"Eh?" His face fell quickly, annoyance matching that of Meredy, replacing his previous prideful one. "Well he lied to ya!"

"No, Rogue would never lie to Fro! He—"

"Why wouldn't he?" The red furred cat was nearing the green furred one, his eyes predatory and glaring. "Ya naive talking in first person ya know. He could be foolin' ya and ya wouldn't even know."

Any other person might delight in watching a _literal_ catfight. Not Meredy. She just wanted to get out fast. "Uhm...am I allowed to leave?"

"No," the green furred Exceed said through sniffles, wiping her tears with a sleeve. "R-rogue told Fro to guard you."

"Really?" Meredy raised an arm, staring at the shackles that chained her wrists and ankles. Even if there weren't anyone watching her, she was too weak to break anything that chained her let alone escape.

"Fro is doing a good job right?"

Meredy felt something shifting, surprised to see the Exceed climbing atop of her, little paws clamped along her side for balance.

"Is Fro doing a good job?" she repeated, voice growing timid and quiet. "Fro wants to do her best for Rogue-kun but Lector says she doesn't do good job."

Meredy looked back and forth from the green furred Exceed to the red furred Exceed, Lector, in the background. Lector kept nodding his head while slicing across his neck with his paw, signaling her not to say anything.

But the Exceed reminded Meredy so much of herself: the beads of tear brimming at the corner of her eyes, the questions that begged to be answered.

The Exceed mirrored herself whenever she approached Ultear.

_Ultear._

To Meredy, the sides of the room suddenly closed in, everything seeming to grow in sizes whereas she stayed the size she was. The cat that was crying to her and the cat that was leering at her were mocking and crying over things that she no longer could.

_What the hell am I staying calm here for? When Ultear…_

"Get off," Meredy murmured, stopping the green furred Exceed from crying.

The Exceed tilted her head. "What?"

"I said get off!" Meredy gave a kick, shoving the Exceed off of her. "Get off! Get off! Get off! I don't have time to listen to your stupid worries!"

She struggled, against her body's warnings not to. The pain and soreness intensified inside of her but she ignored them, trying hard to loosen the grasp the chains and cuffs had on her.

The Exceed that fell off stared at her in horror and surprise but the other Exceed was quicker to react. He pounced on her, yelling a name Meredy was unfamiliar with while proceeding to scratch her face.

Meredy gave one last tug, successfully freeing her right arm. The metal cut through her skin in the process but it was nothing compared to the scratches Lector gave her. To prevent gaining any more, Meredy grabbed the Exceed by the ear and threw him on the floor.

"I'm getting out of here," she informed the sprawling Exceed, tearing the other metal cuffs, "you bastards think that I will—"

"Ah, I knew we needed stronger chains than that," a suave voice thrilled from behind, dragging her by the collar as easily as she had thrown Lector on the floor. She felt a warm breath tickle her ear. "You don't have energy and magic. Your body still hurts. But you still break free and dare to hurt my partner?"

The pinkette stilled. This same voice…from yesterday…the boy who killed Ultear…

"I should kill you," she could see the blonde's face now; a malicious, toothy smile expanded the sides of his face.

She felt fearful, regretful…but at the same time, excited and pleased. She didn't know what came over her to feel that way.

Seconds after his words, the blonde roughly threw _her_ on the floor, further bruising her already damaged body. She groaned, weakly situating herself up as she saw the blonde rushing to Lector, his expression softer than Meredy expected it to be.

Upon seeing it, affections and relief rushed inside of her. Meredy pinched herself.

What was wrong with her emotions today?

"Are you okay?" The green haired Exceed had approached her, her green paw hesitantly offered to her. Meredy was tired but still unwilling to take it.

"Why," her acidic tone inflicted fear in the Exceed, "are you still helping me? After what I did? You really are stupid."

"Wh-what?"

Meredy honestly didn't know what she was saying anymore. The world was messed up. Why did Ultear die? Why was _she_ left alive? Why did she have to be at the mercy of those responsible of Ultear's death?

Meredy pounded the floor with her fist, weakly, a tear streaming down her face.

"Why are you nice to me?" She didn't look up, hating herself for being weak. "Why? Just kill me already. Just kill me."

Silence buzzed in the air, like poison drunk into the body, taking its time to kill. Meredy felt its effects, the coldness running through the soft hearted Exceed evidently, discoloring her cheeks. Meredy refused to let herself be moved though.

"You—"

"That's enough," a velvety voice softy said. A hand cupped her shoulder, forcing her to face the new appearance. It was a black haired boy. Her and Sting's age.

"Rogue!" The Exceed ran to the black haired boy who picked her up, coddling her. "Rogue! Fr-fro didn't do anything bad did she?"

Meredy could scoff if it didn't hurt her lungs so much. Lector was right. 'Fro' was ridiculously naïve.

"No, Frosch, you didn't," he said gently, getting a favorable response from the Exceed in the form of a light hearted cheer. The two laughed shortly afterwards and Meredy felt her eyes sting.

_That could be me and Ultear…_

Instead of bursting into physical rage like previously, Meredy let her head fall on the ground, the strain she had placed on her body finally taking its toll.

She heard footsteps leaving the ground and foolishly thought that everyone had left her to rot and die when someone pulled at her hair.

"Get up pinkie," the blonde smirked, not a trace of shame visible in both his body language and face, "or I'll help you."

Having common sense and what was left of her strength, Meredy shoved Sting's hand away, helping herself up weakly. As soon as she was standing, however, two shackles were chained at her ankles once more and she wearily glanced at Sting who shrugged.

"Our Master's orders."

"…am I meeting your Master right now?"

"Yep." He tugged the chain connected to the ankle. "Let's go."

—

The walk to the center of Sabertooth's meeting room seemed longer than the walk to the room itself.

Upon opening the iron rusted door, creaking terribly from the push against it, Meredy saw swarms and swarms of mages, all bunched against railings on either side of her. They looked vicious, sneered with animosity.

The railings seemed to be her only defense against these mages who seemed ready to attack her any given opportunity.

She gulped. She had resigned herself to death, to enslavement. But that was only in thought. It hadn't occurred to her how it would feel like when it was put into action but that was the main reason for many human failings.

"Hypocrites," Meredy thought, "that's what we all are."

"Oi," Meredy shivered as a mouth neared her ears, his breath chilling. "Move already."

She forgot all about the boys behind her, obliging what Sting said reluctantly.

She heard him mutter, "don't be so damn nervous, dammit."

"What?" Meredy turned around, only to see that his back and the other boy's back facing her already. They were exiting from her. "Wait! What did you say—"

"Silence!"

At once, with that abrupt, echoing word, everything stopped. Silence, along with fear, swept over the room. Meredy turned back to see who was responsible.

She paled.

There, muscular, bearded, knotted hairy eyebrows, a grimace threatening to kill, sat a man in a golden throne, his arms spread out, a gesture of that of a tyrant.

Tyrant he appeared indeed.

"You," his voice was robust, thundered at the corners of each spoken word, "state your name."

Her mouth went dry but she forced herself to speak. "M-Meredy."

"Last name."

Meredy closed her eyes and reopened them, with a shaky, "Milkovich."

"Milkovich-san, do you know why you are here?"

"I-I'm a prisoner."

She heard snickers in the background.

"Do you know what we do to prisoners?"

"K-kill them?"

He laughed. "Clichéd. No. Would you like to be killed?"

Meredy dared to lift her bowed head slowly, snuck a glimpse of this odd man's attitude. His serious expression merely confused her more.

"I-I don't know?"

"You," he lifted a pointed finger towards her, the first physical action she saw him make, "are wanted, the reason my mages were sent as a mission to locate you."

She felt her stomach gurgle in discomfort. She and Ultear were...targeted?

"But out of the goodness of my heart," he patted his chest, "I've taken you in. Instead of turning you in."

"Yeah right," Meredy thought. "Then why didn't you tell your guild members to kill me with Ultear as well?"

"But," the man widened his eyes, allowing Meredy glimpse a slight flicker of humanity before it became swallowed by the blackness of his raven colored orbs. "I will give you one more chance. Tell me who you are. Who you were previously affiliated. Your answer shall decide your fate."

"…" How should she answer? Should she fake her answer in hopes that would grant her mercy? Surely by telling the truth she would be killed right on the spot. The demonic aura that glimmered behind the man's eyes hinted he could very well accomplish that.

But…death didn't seem all that bad, now that she thought of it.

Her lips formed a small smile.

She could see Ultear that way.

"My name is Meredy Milkovich," she ignored the crack in her voice when she stated her surname. "My magic is Maguilty Sense and I was part of Grimoire Heart and—"

"Grimoire Heart?" He shifted in his throne. "The one where Hades was the leader?"

"Yes. He was my master."

"And Maguilty Sense…is this one of the lost magic…?"

"Yes it is."

"…so you might be the one…" He murmured inaudibly. Meredy blinked. "What is that?"

"Silence," the man said instead, ignoring her question entirely. "I have made my decision."

She closed her eyes, holding her breath. She did it. There was no way she would be accepted. Most likely she would be chopped up into bits and pieces so he could absorb whatever magic she had.

Who cared? She could be with Ultear now. Just a few seconds more…

"Meredy Milkovich, you are hereby a member of Sabertooth."

Her heart dropped. A fate worse than death had been decided for her.

_A young girl, without restraint, walked in, wanting to die._

"No!" Sensing her rebellion to stay put, people ran to secure her. Meredy shrieked, kicking the people who secured her by the arms, able to grant herself some time to escape before being secured by three others. "Stop! Stop!"

_All she ever wanted was to live with her beloved. Forever. _

"Kill me!" She screeched, giving up on escaping. Sabertooth's master watched her silently. "Kill me! I won't do any good in your guild! I won't! I won't!"

_All she ever wanted was under the starry night sky with Ultear._

"Please! Kill me!"

Her shrieks stopped when sadness and pity overwhelmed her heart for some inexplicable reason, and through the corner of her eyes, she spied a certain blonde watching her blankly.

What…?

"Meredy Milkovich, ," the man's voice boomed from behind, sending tremors into her soul. "You will join our guild."

Blackness blanketed her.

* * *

Word Count: 2,250

* * *

AN: So this was a relatively slow chapter, transitioning from Ultear's death to Meredy's arrival at Sabertooth. Next chapters should progress faster since Meredy will interact with the guild members more. The slowness of this chapter probably accounted to how fast the release of this chapter was. Sorry! I wasn't into it.

Hope Meredy wasn't hated or anything in this chapter for animal violence, lol. Or Sting hated for hitting a girl but hey. It's gender equality! He doesn't discriminate a girl's so-called 'physical inferiority,' that so-called gentleman do! (Doesn't self-justification rock?)

Anyways, look forward to next chapter which will be entirely in Sting's POV and filled with Sting/Meredy moments (kind of). (:

Thanks for reading this far and hope to have your continued support!

* * *

ta-da-i-ma desu: Thank you so much for your review! (: And I'm glad Ultear's death was portrayed well enough to evoke feelings. Even though she's no longer in the story physically, she'll still hold some influence so don't fret!


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